NW Reign Volleyball Club seeks to provide a competitive volleyball experience with a foundation in excellence in athletic performance, ethical and respectful coaching, and a developmental approach to working with student-athletes.

A: NW Reign Volleyball Club seeks to provide a competitive volleyball experience with a foundation in excellence in athletic performance, ethical and respectful coaching, and a developmental approach to working with student-athletes.This vision statement means that, at NW Reign, we want to provide our teams with the opportunity to challenge for a regional title each year, but in an atmosphere where the players are treated with dignity. For anyone who has competed at a high level in sports, you know there are different ways that coaches try to get the most out of their players. We prefer a positive approach and we employee coaches who share this philosophy.

We believe that Reign is well on its way to achieving this vision. In 2014--Reign’s 3rd year as a volleyball club--our 18U, 16U, and 14U first teams all finished in the top ten regionally, while still providing all of our players with ample playing time and a positive environment.

Q: What is Reign’s philosophy when it comes to playing time?
A: NW Reign believes that, while every player is in a different place in her volleyball journey, if you make a team and work hard, you deserve to play. At Reign, we believe that players get better by playing and that all of our players have value to contribute. So, at Reign, while playing time is not equal, our approach is to try to make sure that every girl gets in every match.

More information on playing time is covered in the Q and A below.

Q: What is the difference between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd teams?
A: Reign, like most volleyball clubs, has multiple teams per age group, especially in the 16U and 14U age groups, which are the most popular ages for volleyball.

The first teams, often referred to as “competition teams”, are represented by players who have shown the most skill at tryouts in their respective positions and who have demonstrated their hard work, leadership, and the ability to be supportive teammates. Reign’s goal is for its first teams to be competitive against the best teams in the region. Because of the high level of competitiveness, playing time on the first team may be less evenly distributed than the second and third teams.

Second and third teams, which also compete in tournaments, place a high premium on teaching. Players on these teams tend to be younger and/or less experienced than first team players. Because the ultimate goal of second and third teams is to prepare the players for a higher level of play in future years, less focus is placed on their competitive results and more focus is placed on fundamental skill development.

Q: How do tryouts work?
A: Reign, like most volleyball clubs, has tryouts each fall for the upcoming volleyball season. Clubs approach tryouts in very different manners. Some clubs, for example, will not allow parents to watch tryouts, while others are more open.

Reign does its best to make the tryout experience—which can be quite stressful for the girls—as pleasant and supportive as possible and welcomes parents to observe tryouts.

The players typically arrive early to register and warm up. Then, the club director welcomes the players and lets them know about how the day will proceed.

Typically, at Reign tryouts, coaches will take the players through some organized warm ups to get them ready (and help calm nerves). Warm ups are followed by skills stations, where players go through different basic volleyball drills, so that the coaches can see their skill levels. Drills may then be followed by scrimmages and situational play.

Finally, near the end of tryouts, the coaches will determine who to offer spots to.

At competitive clubs, there are typically many more girls who will tryout for a club than there are positions in the club. So, inevitably, some players are turned away.

Not making a club can be a very disappointing experience, and having to turn players away is our least favorite part of the club experience. That being said, Reign is happy to try to help your daughter find another club if she doesn’t make one of our teams, as well as suggest other avenues to get girls some additional experience.

Q: How good/experienced does my daughter have to be to make the club?
A: That is a very difficult question to answer. It really all depends on who shows up to tryouts and what the needs are for each specific team. Generally speaking, the older the player is, the more experience that is expected.

Typically, girls who make the 18U, 16U, and 14U first teams have played in a volleyball club before at a fairly high level. Often, they will be in the top-25 players for their respective age group at their position in the CEVA region (SW Washington and Oregon). Second team players--especially at the 18U and 16U level--will very likely have played club volleyball before. 14U second team players often have played club volleyball and most will have played for a couple of years in school ball or rec ball (i.e., Parks and Recreation or Catholic Youth Organization).

For the 12U level, there are many players who have very limited volleyball experience.

Q: How can I help prepare my daughter to make a Reign team if she has never played in a volleyball club before?
A: Volleyball, like most things, is something that people get better at the more they do it. We would suggest a combination of joining school teams, rec teams, CYO teams, camps and more. As players progress, it can also be useful to add some volleyball lessons, so to ensure that they are forming good fundamental habits.

CYO and rec league teams can start very young, which can be a big help in getting girls ready to play.

Q: How much does it cost to join NW Reign?
A: Reign is a not-for-profit organization, but still, joining a volleyball club represents a significant investment for most families. Depending on the age of the player and which team the player is selected for, the cost of joining NW Reign varied between $900-$2250 in 2013-2014 season.

Membership fee go toward covering the following items:

Team/Coach registration's with USAV/CEVA Region

Tournament Entry Fees

Practice Gym Rentals

Practice Equipment

Insurance

Medical Supplies

Coaches' stipends and travel expenses

Administrative costs

Team apparel/gear (Nike) which includes the following:

**(2-3) Jerseys,**warm-up Jacket, **duffel bag/backpack, (2) spandex,
(2) socks, knee pads, shoes.**These items will be returned to the Club at the end of season.

In addition to membership fees, families are responsible to pay for hotels and travel expenses for their players. For the 14U level and below, players typically do not travel farther than Eugene, Oregon to the South, to Seattle, WA to the North, and to Spokane, WA to the East. The 16U and 18U teams may travel to Denver, CO and the 18U teams also may travel to Las Vegas.

Q: When do practices and tournaments begin, and how long does the season last?
A: Tryouts typically occur in the first half of November and Reign typically begins practices the week following tryouts. We like to have the girls compete in their first tournament in December to get them ready for the upcoming CEVA Power League season, which starts in early-January.

Teams typically practice 2-3 times per week, depending on the team, gym availability, and time of year. Practices normally last for 2 hours.

Most Reign teams complete play by the end of April or May, again depending on the team.

It is normally best not to plan vacations ahead of the season, until your practice and tournament schedule are announced.

Q: Does Reign offer private or group lessons?
A: Reign recognizes that players can greatly benefit from individual instructional attention outside of regular group practices. At this time, in order to keep costs down, Reign is not formally offering private except on an as-available basis. Reign is aware of strong instructors in the area, and can direct players to them.

However, Reign is in the process of instituting regular clinics for setters and hitters to augment normal practices. We will are also exploring developing defensive skills clinics for our DS and Libero specialists.

Q: Are there other sources of information on club volleyball?
A: The Columbia Empire Volleyball Association (CEVA) is the regional arm of USA Volleyball. The cevaregion.orgwebsite has excellent information on club volleyball in SW Washington state and Oregon. Also, CEVA offers a Parent Guide, which can be very helpful.